Trade minister to close non-licensed firms

Malawi’s Minister of Trade and Industry John Bande has warned businesspeople against operating without licences.

In an interview Tuesday, Bande expressed concern that some businesspeople are beating systems yet officials in his ministry are doing little to stop the malpractices.

The minister said he will not spare any official who connive with businesspeople to beat government systems.

“There are some shops that have not renewed their licences since 2008 while others are literally operating without licences. The question is: Where are my officers who are supposed to check such malpractice?

“I will ensure no one beats government systems even if it means transferring some officials in my ministry,” he said.

Bande said the practice is causing government to lose money through non-remittance of licence fees.

“If we have 5 000 shops who are not renewing their licences, it means the country is losing about K300 million in a year. That is a lot of money,” he said.

The minister also described the businesspeople that are not renewing their licences as unpatriotic and threatened to close their businesses.